TURKEY face Portugal in one of the most intriguing match-ups in Group F, while Georgia take on Czech Republic and Belgium go up against Romania.
Turkey and Portugal go head to head in a fascinating UEFA EURO 2024 Group F encounter, while Georgia and Czech Republic look for their first points and Belgium hope to bounce back from an opening defeat against Romania.
We preview the action in Dortmund, Hamburg and Cologne.
Georgia vs Czech Republic (Group F, Hamburg)
Georgia played their part in one of the most entertaining EURO 2024 matches so far on Matchday 1, but ultimately came up short as they lost 3-1 to Turkey in their first-ever match in a major international finals. “It’s never nice when you lose, but I think my team can be proud of our performance and putting Georgian football in such a positive light,” coach Willy Sagnol defiantly said at full time. “The more we play games like this, the better we will be.”
Czech Republic, meanwhile, also suffered disappointment, coming agonisingly close to holding Portugal before Francisco Conceição’s late winner. “We are all disappointed to have conceded in additional time,” coach Ivan Hašek said. “We have to put it behind us very quickly, as we’re playing a key game in four days.” Which of these two sides can kick-start their EURO campaign on Saturday?
Key stat: This is the first meeting between Georgia and Czech Republic in any competition. Czech Republic have won five of their last six matches when facing a nation for the first time.
Turkey vs Portugal (Group F, Dortmund)
After beating Georgia in Dortmund on Tuesday, a vibrant and exciting Turkey outfit will be eyeing a big scalp when they take on Portugal at the same stadium. A confident Kaan Ayhan said: “In the Portugal game, we will be the underdogs. They are one of the favourites at EURO 2024. Therefore, we can show how dangerous a team we are by winning.”
Roberto Martínez’s team left it late to beat Czech Republic, showing that they have the ability to dig deep and grind out a result in difficult circumstances. Defender Nuno Mendes is all too aware of the threat Turkey pose, telling EURO2024.com: “They have young and talented players and it will be hard, that’s for sure. But we are Portugal and we’ll go out to win.”
Key stat: Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored against Turkey, despite facing them three times. Only against Albania has he ever played more matches (4) without finding the back of the net for Portugal.
Belgium vs Romania (Group E, Cologne)
One of the biggest surprises on Matchday 1 was Belgium’s defeat against Slovakia in Group E. Domenico Tedesco’s side created numerous chances but were unable to finish them off, the coach himself admitting: “I can’t tell the team many things that they should have done better. [We missed] big chances and the goal Slovakia scored should have been avoided.” Tedesco is backing forward Romelu Lukaku to show a positive reaction against Romania, adding: “Romelu knows how to score goals. He’s mentally very strong and will bounce back.”
Only Germany won by a bigger margin than Romania on Matchday 1, the Tricolorii cruising to a 3-0 victory over Ukraine in Munich. Optimism and positivity seem to be coursing through every member of Anghel Iordănescu’s team. “We are excited, but we need to take this step by step,” warned midfielder Răzvan Marin. “I think 22 million Romanians are happy now, for sure. I’m happy too, but we need to keep going.”
Key stat: Romania’s win against Ukraine was just their second at a EURO (D5 L10), while Belgium failed to score for the first time in nine EURO matches in their defeat to Slovakia.